The Art of Love
by mabelreid
Summary: Sequel to Aftertoon Delight Reid decides he's ready to go to the next level in his relationship with Emily
1. See

**__**

Disclaimer: see my profile

**_A/n Adele decided that "Afternoon Delight" needed an M rated followup. I don't have any control over her. I'm just her willing slave. I'm not sure how many chapters will be involved. It depends on Adele and the plot bunnies._**

**_See _**

"Come in…" Garcia called over her shoulder. Her hands never stopped their work, even when she saw that it was Reid, rather than Kevin, in the reflection off her monitor. "Hey sweet cheeks, this is a wonderful surprise. What can I do for you?"

He didn't answer which made her fingers stop their mad dance on her keyboard. She turned in her chair and confronted him. He resembled someone on too much sensory overload, "What's wrong?"

He lifted his eyes from studying the floor. "I should just go. It was a bad idea to come in here. Emily will be mad if -"

"Oh," Garcia grinned. "So you're disturbing my sanctuary for woman problems." She kidded.

"It's serious!" He suddenly flapped his arms around so that she had to duck or risk a smack in the face. "She's coming to my place tonight and we -" He broke off so suddenly it was like a cork shooting out of the mouth of a bottle of shaken wine. "Never mind," He went scarlet in the cheeks. "I shouldn't be in here talking to you about it. She'd be really mad and -"

Garcia went to her office door and shut it firmly. "Why don't we continue this discussion with a little more privacy?"

"Garcia!"

"You came in here to ask me something." She reminded him as she moved past him to her chair.

The perfume she wore reminded him of flowers in springtime. Her eyes sparkled behind the tortoise shell frames she wore. "If you're going to laugh at me, I'll leave." He snapped

"No you don't," She stepped back and blocked his exit from her 'bat cave,' with a hand on his chest. "Talk to me Dr Reid, or I'll call Morgan in here."

"Alright… I surrender to the great Penelope Garcia."

"That's better." She went to her chair and sat down, sweeping her dark green skirt under her with both hands.

"I invited Emily over and sort of told her that I was - well you know. Do I have to say it?" He blurted out miserably.

"I get it. You're planning a romantic evening. I think it's sweet." She grinned at him.

"I don't know what to do. What if she expects me to be someone I'm not, like Morgan? I don't know how to be suave and romantic. She's going to laugh at me."

Garcia pinched his bare forearm hard. "Stop it or I'll smack you silly then call Morgan in here."

"I'm serious!" He got up to pace her tiny office. "I don't know how to be romantic or -" He faced her door and went silent.

"Oh…" She faced her computer so they were back to back. "You should go talk to Morgan."

"He'll laugh at me. I'm a twenty-nine year old virgin Garcia. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Come over here and let me tell you a little secret." She turned around again and patted the chair next to her desk.

"NO!"

"Don't make me come over there and get you." She patted the chair again.

He came back and sat down. "I hate this!" He slapped his hand down on the desk. "I'm tired of always stumbling around like a teenager that doesn't know anything about love!"

"Hey… Stop it right now. You know more about love than most people ever learn in a lifetime. Just because you don't have experience with women, doesn't mean you don't know how to love. Besides, you men always equate sex with love. It drives us crazy! Women don't think that way."

"That's not true Garcia. Emily and I have been going out for three months. She wants to take it to the next level. I'm the one that's been resisting. Then the other night we were walking around the Lincoln Memorial after dark. The moon was full and it was so beautiful. I looked over at her and I just knew that I…"

"Wanted to get in her pants," Garcia finished for him with a slow wink.

"That's not funny Garcia."

"I'm sorry Reid. Look, just go with your heart. You already did the hard thing. You asked her out for the first time and you decided when you felt ready for intimacy. You'll know what to do tonight. Trust me!"

He began twisting his hands around in his lap. "I know that Garcia. I just want to make everything perfect."

"Oh…" She put a hand under his chin and pulled his face up to look at her. "Listen to me sweet cheeks. By the time I'm done with you Emily won't know what hit her."

* * *

Reid jumped and almost knocked over one of the wine glasses he'd put on his kitchen table when his doorbell buzzed. He looked up at the clock in the soft light of the room. Nine pm. His heart began to pound so hard, he got dizzy as he went to the front door.

"Hi," He squeaked handing her a single scarlet rose, so deep in color it looked almost black.

She wore a black chiffon halter dress with matching heels and handbag. She'd left her hair down in flowing waves over her shoulders just the way he liked it. Her scarlet lips smiled at him as her eyes roamed around the entryway and living room of his apartment.

"Wow!" She stepped up and kissed him on the lips, much too briefly for his taste. "Your place looks beautiful." She put the rose to her nose and breathed in deeply. "I'm impressed. Thanks for the beautiful rose."

There were fat white candles on every free surface of the room. All of them were lit, so that golden light filled the room in fluttering waves. Some of them must have been perfumed because she could smell the gentle scent of vanilla and cinnamon. More red and pink roses stood in vases all around the room. Soft music played from his entertainment system, something with a lot of sax and piano.

"You like it?" Reid asked hesitantly.

She pulled him in for another long wet kiss that left him breathless. "Is that a yes?"

She laughed and hugged him tight. "That was a yes Dr. Reid. Your living room looks great. I like the music too."

"I bought some white wine. It's your favorite." He informed her.

She stopped him from leaving her side with another kiss. "I think we can forget the wine for now." She said right before he lost the ability to think from lack of oxygen.

"Oh… Um… Do you want something to eat?" He fumbled feeling like a complete jackass.

"No… I'm not hungry, for food, that is." She winked at him and his mouth went dry.

"We should talk -"

She pulled him back in for a third kiss. This time her tongue worked its way into his mouth. He tasted the faint reminder of her peppermint toothpaste. Her hands tangled in his short hair tugging it hard so that he inhaled sharply as their mouths pulled apart.

"I don't want to talk Spencer."

She led him down the hall to his bedroom where he'd placed more candles and rose petals along the wood floor to his bed. "Very nice Dr. Reid."

Her warm hand pulled him to the bed. She pushed him down into a sitting position and kicked off her shoes.

"Emily!" He breathed. "You have to stop for a minute, please."

She took a seat next to him on the bed and grabbed his hand. "I'm scaring you." She stated with utter certainty.

"Honestly, a little," He admitted looking down at his shoes.

"Why don't you take off your shoes and socks while I go get the wine?"

* * *

He watched her walk out of the room with a sinking heart. He'd hurt her feelings for sure. He wouldn't blame her for leaving. What kind of man was he that he couldn't finish this little seduction scene? He kicked off his shoes, which he'd so carefully polished for an hour that afternoon. He took off one white sock and the other black sock. At least he'd be halfway ready for sleep if she came back and told him that she was leaving.

He sat staring at the rose petals strewn across the floor wondering why he'd suddenly thought that sex was good idea at this point in their relationship, when Emily came in with two glasses and the wine he'd been chilling.

She'd opened the bottle in the kitchen and poured out a little into their glasses. "Here you go." She handed one to him. He held it but he didn't drink it. His throat felt way too tight to swallow.

"What's wrong Spencer?" She sat down and turned to look at him.

"I'm messing this up for you." He said.

"I'm still here. Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?" She took a sip of her wine while he swirled his around in the glass.

"I wanted everything to be perfect for you. I even went to see Garcia." He looked up and saw that she wasn't angry. In fact, she was smiling at him as if she had some big secret. "What?" He said.

"I know you went to see her. I knew you'd panic and go to her. She is your best friend."

"You're not mad at me."

"Don't look so surprised." She took another sip of her wine. "You aren't that hard to figure out."

"I'm not?" He wanted to be offended, but he knew she was right.

She reached out and ran a finger over his arm. "No…You don't have to be a stud like Morgan." She said.

He flinched at Morgan's name because he had been thinking that in the back of his head. "I know! I just don't know how to be me."

"Why don't we start with a touch?" She suggested.

"I don't know how." He squeaked.

"Of course you do… Just follow your instincts. What does your heart tell you?"

He closed his eyes and tried to find something that spoke to him besides his racing brain. All of the stuff he'd read in the last two days about sexual techniques and lovemaking went out of his head as though they'd never been there.

"Stop thinking about it so much and just feel." She said very close to his ear. The heat from her mouth sent little shivers running down his back. "Forget logic and intelligence for a few minutes."

He reached out and touched the curve of her right breast through the fabric of her dress. She sighed under the exploration of his fingers. He opened his eyes to see her smiling at him. "You've got great hands."

He let his fingers roam to the edge of her dress and slip inside to touch the warm, soft flesh inside. His body instantly responded to her hitching breath and the heaving of her chest. He let his other hand join the first in exploring her nipples as they hardened and became erect under his touch.

"Hm… don't stop what you're doing Dr. Reid."

He brushed his thumbs over her nipples as she arched into him. "You've got the magic touch."

She moved away long enough to remove her dress and the black lace thong she wore under it. "Look at me Spencer." She rejoined him on the bed lying back on the pillows covered in dark blue cases. "Did you know that men find the greatest arousal in visual stimulation? Women find it in the heart and mind. Do I arouse you Spencer?"

He'd lowered his eyes to the bed when she'd taken off her clothes. It wasn't right just to ogle her like that when she was at her most vulnerable. "I - I um… yes, you do." He squeaked.

"Look at me!" She repeated.

He looked… No, that wasn't right; he worshipped her with his eyes taking in every curve and valley from her toes to her head.

"What do you want to do?" She asked.

He pulled off the purple tie he wore then threw it over his shoulder. "I don't want to talk anymore."


	2. Touch

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_a/n thank you all for your kind reviews. Here's the next chapter_**

**_Touch_**

"It's about time." Emily said as she pulled Reid down for a kiss.

His long, lean, body barely touched her, but she felt just how much of an effect she had on him against her bare abdomen.

"Why don't you take off some of your clothes?" She said when his mouth let go of her lips with a little sucking pop

"Okay… If y-you want me to." He stuttered.

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't," She pushed him away gently.

He sat up with his knees straddling her. He winced as he un-buttoned his dark purple dress shirt.

"Move…" She suddenly ordered him.

The confusion and hurt in his eyes cut her heart, but she pushed him away with both hands. He got up with another wince. She tried to ignore the sigh of his bare chest through his open shirt as she shimmied over to the edge of the bed. "Why didn't you tell me your knee hurts?"

He gaped at her and then understanding flitted into his eyes. He pushed off his shirt and sat down next to her. "It twinges a bit. I'm not used to kneeling. At least the bed is soft." He smiled down at her.

"I'm serious Spencer… You have to tell me if you're hurting. All of this isn't worth damaging your knee." She waved her right hand around the romantic setting.

He put an arm around her shoulders. "The doctor said I'm fine. He said I'd have pain for a little while and that I had to be careful. I promise I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… I really am fine. If I weren't, I would tell you. Really," He kissed her cheek.

She turned and straddled him with her legs hanging off the bed. She pushed him down and ran her hands over his chest. "I'm glad because I love what you look like out of that shirt. I've been imagining it for months, but it's so much better in person."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah!" She licked his neck, running her tongue down across his Adams Apple to the top of his chest. She planted little kisses down to his fluttering abdomen. "Emily!"

"What?"

He reversed their positions, flipping her over so fast she screamed a little then laughed. "I thought it was my turn to touch you." He asked her. "You're so beautiful; you make my heart hurt and happy at the same time."

"Are you sure you've never done this before." She asked reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

"I've never done this before, but you made me realize that there's more to this then just being smooth."

She moved her hand to his cheek and caressed it gently. "How did I do that?"

"You were going to walk out of here because of my knee." He said. "People don't care about me like that." He whispered. "It's a real turn on."

"It is huh?" She smiled up at him, her dark eyes speaking without words that she more then cared for him.

"Yeah… I think I'm starting to get that - love with your heart and head and not just your body - thing you were talking about."

"You are?"

He answered her by lowering his body down to lie so that his legs tangled with hers, but the bed took majority of his weight as he lay on his stomach. Emily closed his eyes under the touch of his long fingered hand on her face. He let them glide slowly down the curve of her cheek and across her lips.

"I love how you touch me." She whispered.

"I love touching you," He said.

His hand slid down to her chin then made its way to her throat. He followed his hands with a kiss at the hollow.

Emily sighed and he smiled. He was making Emily Prentiss sigh, what could be better. His hand went back to its favorite spot, the nipples of her breasts. They rose and hardened as her back arched under his touch. "You really do have the magic touch." She breathed. His hand lingered on her right breast stroking and pinching the flesh between his thumb and forefinger listening to Emily gasp and groan.

"You feel like silk," He said.

He shifted his weight a little so his mouth could taste her nipples. He licked the turgid flesh and nipped with his teeth emboldened by her heaving moans and her heaving chest. "Oh God!" She cried out digging the fingers of her hand into his hair.

"You taste like peaches and cream." He said.

She began laughing at the same time his hand moved to her abdomen. "What's so funny?" He immediately stopped caressing her skin and glowered at her.

"I'm ticklish and my body lotion is peach scented." She gasped.

"Oh! Well that's useful information." He smirked, feeling less like he'd really said the wrong thing.

"I'm glad," She gave his hair a hard tug. "Don't get too confident, my budding Casanova."

"Did you know that Casanova's autobiography is considered the most correct source of customs and norms of European life in the 18th Century? When he was a child, he suffered from nosebleeds. His grandmother sought help from a witch who told -"

"I don't care about Casanova and his nosebleeds." Emily scolded yanking again on his hair.

"Oh right… Sorry."

"You can apologize by getting back to business."

"If you insist," He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

His talented fingers stroked the inside of one of her thighs bringing out goose pimples along her legs and arms. "Spencer…" She pouted.

"What?"

"You missed a spot."

"Did I!"

"Yes!"

He looked up to see her eyes begging him to touch her most sensitive of places. His hand wanted to go there, but what if he didn't do it right.

"I don't -"

"Stop talking and do. You're doing just fine." She said turning into his hand.

He slid his thumb down and she instantly jerked and arched her back. "Hm… That's right." She breathed.

She was wet and hot against his fingers as he stroked her. His own arousal began to fight for freedom from the confines of his pants. He could hear his breathing accelerate in time with Emily.

"Emily… Help me out of these pants." He pleaded, not wanting to remove his hand from its new favorite place.

"Oh Spencer!" She cried out ignoring his plea for help. She tightened around his fingers and more liquid gushed from inside her. He lost the last of his control before he could get out of his pants. The orgasm was huge and he jerked twice against her hip, feeling very much like a dog humping the leg of its owner. He felt his face go very hot.

"I - um, I need to -" He jumped off the bed and hurried into the bathroom as fast as he could, ignoring her voice as she called out to him.

* * *

He slammed the door and leaned against it. She would laugh at him for sure. Only high school boys and men with medical conditions had problems with premature ejaculation, right. How completely and utterly stupid and weak must, she think him. He couldn't go back out there and face her. What woman would go to bed with a man that couldn't control their release?

He unzipped his pants, pulled them off with his soiled black cotton boxers and threw them disgustedly into the hamper. Thank God, his old blue terry cloth robe hung on the back of the door. He'd put it on and wait for her to leave. Surely, she'd just go away and they could be friends if he didn't confront her with his inadequacies.

"Reid!" Her angry voice came through the door. "What is the matter with you?"

"Go away!" He shouted back.

"Not in this lifetime. Get out of there or I'll be forced to go home and come back with my gun."

He threw on his robe, belted it and opened the door. Emily stood there in her blank panties and nothing else but she managed to project the kind of authority associated with her mother or Hotch. "What was that all about?" She demanded.

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Don't make me sorry this happened." She snapped.

He walked around her and went back to sit on the edge of his bed. He stared at the hardwood floor trying not to let the tears pricking in his eyes fall. He wouldn't be a crybaby in front of her.

"Why are you ruining the best moment of our relationship to date?" She asked.

He could see her bare feet standing in front of him, but he couldn't make his eyes look up at her.

"Please look at me." She begged.

He looked up. She wasn't angry anymore, but she did look unhappy and deflated. He had to fix it even if it meant more humiliation. "I - I couldn't stop it. I meant to - Oh God, this is so embarrassing. Some man I am! I can't even control my own body."

She sat down next to him and took his hand. "I thought we had this settled Spencer. You don't have to be perfect for me. You're experiencing something that most people deal with at a younger age then you. I have to wonder though, if that makes them better for it. You," She pushed her finger into his cheek with a smile are the sweetest, kindest and most beautiful person I know. You have the purest soul I've ever encountered.

"I made a mess of my pants." He said.

"So what? You think I'm going to leave just because you need a little practice."

She winked at him. "If you need a teacher - and from what you just did for me I highly doubt it - I'm happy to oblige."

He finally felt laughter swelling up in his chest. "Okay, so I overreacted just a little."

"Why don't we get some sleep? Tomorrow's Saturday, so we have lots of time for a little practice."

"You're not a covers hog are you?" He eyed her suspiciously.

"You'll never find out if you don't take off that robe and get into bed." She removed her panties again and threw them over her shoulder. "Come on… I'm ready for a nice sleep with a great looking guy."

"I'll be back in a minute… I just remembered the candles."

He hurried out to the living room on a knee that didn't hurt anymore and began extinguishing candles. As the last one went out in a puff of smoke, he smiled. All the years of feeling out of place and time with women were over. He didn't have to envy other men because they had love and he was alone.

"Don't screw it up." He said softly into the dark room.

Strange, the darkness didn't bother him anymore. He smiled and went back to his room where Emily lay waiting for him. He blew out the rest of the candles and climbed into the bed next to her. She cuddled up to him and somehow, this closeness was better, at least for now.


	3. Feel

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_a/n here's the final chapter all. Thank you all for your support of this story. You're the best_**

**_Feel_**

Little stripes of blue light filtered into the black room from around the blinds on Reid's window. He lay on his left side staring at the blinds instead of the clock, which read about twelve minutes to one a.m. Emily breathed deeply and evenly next to him.

His eyes felt hot and full of sand. He kept drifting in and out of sleep as he tried to get his mind off losing control like an inexperienced teenager.

_You are not a teenager! _His mind insisted on reminding him.

He turned over again, trying to be quiet so he didn't wake her. If he could only pin down what he'd done wrong that evening so he didn't embarrass himself again. She said it was okay. She said it didn't matter because he didn't have experience. She said they had plenty of time to practice.

_What if she said that so she could save what is left of your fragile ego? She's a profiler… She knows how to manipulate a situation for her control._

He turned back over to his back. Emily wouldn't manipulate him like that. She loved him. He knew it just as surely as he knew his mother loved him. The problem lay in him. It was his lack of knowledge and experience. She put up with it because she loved him.

He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, which had started to itch. There had to be some way to skip the learning curve. After all, he'd always been at the top of the learning curve in school, so he just had to find the way to rise to the top now. He nearly laughed and felt his face get hot at his unintended pun, if Morgan could see him now.

He carefully turned over and tried to see Emily's face in the dark through eyes, which had adjusted in the dark. If only he could see her beautiful dark eyes and the honesty in them. She never lied to him even when she forgave his mishap. He reached out and found the curve of her cheek. She sighed as he touched her face. He wondered what she might dream of at night. Maybe she dreamed of him. His face went hot again. He hadn't given her any reason to dream about him!

He sighed and climbed out of bed. At this rate, he'd wake her up and she'd be mad. He found his way to the door and shut it behind him as he turned on the light in the hallway. He stood, naked, waiting for his eyes to adjust so he could get his sleep clothes from the bathroom.

After he'd emptied his bladder and put on his blue, purple and white plaid sleep pants, he headed into the living room and his laptop. Research hadn't let him down before, so he turned to it now. He booted up and went to a web page he'd found when he'd been contemplating what to do tonight.

He went back to an article he'd found that talked about the hidden erogenous zones on women. The most surprising spots were the armpits. The article said that most people are ticklish there so a certain amount of trust would be required to touch there. Okay, he had her trust because she let him touch her in very intimate places. It was obvious to him that she had liked what he'd done very much.

The next place was the feet and then the ears. He could understand the feet because everyone liked foot messages for their relaxing properties. The article said licking and sucking on the edges of the ears were a good choice because you can talk to the person at the same time.

His face went hot again. He didn't think he could talk dirty to Emily. It would offend her sensibilities as the daughter of a diplomat. She'd probably slap him if he tried it. Still, using his tongue on her ears might be fun because it was something new for him.

He clicked on another article, read as fast as he could because his eyes hurt, and burned without sleep or his contacts or glasses. He was about to shut down the browser when a hand fell on his shoulder.

0000000000

Emily opened her eyes to an empty bed and black darkness. She rubbed at her eyes and sighed at the numbers on the clock. It was only one thirty in the morning. She'd been pretending to sleep as he'd gotten out of the bed. He'd been so restless; she didn't want him to know that he'd kept her awake with his tossing and turning.

She reached for the lamp she knew was sitting on a night table and flicked it on. She got out of the bed, picked his purple shirt off the floor, and buttoned it on. The time for understanding and coddling him was at an end. She'd been waiting for months for the chance to play out some of her dreams; his insecurities would have to stay behind.

99999999

He jerked and nearly knocked the laptop off the table when she touched his bare shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Um… I was just reading." He squeaked.

"Oh really," She perused the article he'd been reading. "It looks like interesting reading after midnight."

"I needed some inspiration." He said.

"I think you're lying, but why don't you show me what you learned."

"It's the middle of the night Emily."

She let her hands slide down his chest as she bent over to speak into his ear. "Why are you making excuses?" She licked the edges of his ear, and then gently nipped the lobe. "I think you've made me wait long enough Spencer."

He reached up and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her head to hollow between his shoulder and neck. He massaged the back of her neck with his fingers.

"Hm… That's pretty good, but I think we need to get you out of those pants." She said pushing her hands into his sleep pants.

"God!" He jerked, tugging on her hair as her fingers found his awakening erection.

"You like that."

"Yes."

She pulled her hand out of his pants and wiggled away from his arms.

"That wasn't funny," he said getting up from the little chair in front of his metal computer table.

She ran her fingers around the collar of his shirt, which he noticed her wearing for the first time. It reached just to the tops of her thighs. His mouth went very dry thinking about what lay beneath the cloth. "That looks better on you than it does on me."

"Does it?" She asked licking the little finger of her left hand.

"Yes!"

He took her hand and led her over to the big sectional couch against the far wall. He pushed her down and lifted her feet up onto the couch. "Why don't you relax?" He suggested.

"What are you up to?"

"No talking," he ordered, taking one of her feet in his hands.

He smiled when she began purring as he rubbed the top of her toes. She groaned under the pressure of his hands on the arch of her foot. "If you stop…" She sighed. "I'll kick your ass."

"I love it when you threaten me." He began, "It's very arousing." He stopped tending to her feet despite her threat, moving up to plant kisses on her legs, moving slowly up her left leg to the edge of his shirt.

"I'll forgive you this time." She hitched in a breath as his hands pushed up the shirt so he could lick her fluttering abdomen.

"What are you doing?" She laughed, as she'd always been ticklish at her belly button.

"Writing my name on your tasty skin with my tongue," He said.

"Don't stop! It's wonderful."

He kept licking at her stomach and breasts while his hands sought their new favorite place, where it was hot and wet. She tried bucking off but he held her down more easily than he thought. Already heat pounded in his head and throbbed in his arousal. Her hands shoved down his pajama pants freeing his rigid manhood. All the articles and every medical book or anatomy text went out of his head as her hands found the base of his penis and began stroking him. Her left hand tugged gently at his testicles and he almost exploded off her. The feeling that grew up inside him fought to take over his mind, but he held off giving into his instincts. She had to be first… always first because what she felt was more important than anything else in his universe

Emily lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around his waist, giving him access, to join his body to hers. "Spencer…" She groaned in his ear when he thrust forward hard. "Oh God… don't stop."

"I love you." He said, stopping to look into her eyes and drown in their dark depths.

"Show me!" She demanded. "Now!"

Her leg tightened across his back as he thrust, going much harder than he intended. The idea that this had to be sweet and tender left his mind in the need for release. It lasted longer than he thought as their bodies moved and slapped together like water against a buoy. He heard Emily cry out his name and to God after several minutes that felt like seconds. She tightened around him and groaned again when at last his release came with a power he couldn't describe. He didn't know if he said her name or if it was all just meaningless groans and cries.

When he came back to earth, he immediately moved off Emily rolling to the floor in an un-gangly heap as his pants had tangled around his ankles and his hair was in his eyes but it didn't matter because Emily was silent except for her ragged breathing.

Why did Morgan talk about sex as though it were just a physical need for release? He talked as if it were nothing. He pulled up his sleep pants and went back to the couch. She lifted her head and smiled at him. Her hair, her face, free of the makeup she'd worn, reminded him of a Botticelli painting. She rolled over and pushed up to crawl into his lap. He held her tight and fought against the overwhelming feelings rising up in his gut and heart.

The heart, to him, had always been just a muscle. Love was just chemicals and some romantic notion, until Emily had walked into his life. He stroked her hair and held her tight as she began to shake. "What's wrong?"

Fear wiped out the joy of the past minutes in a heart beat as he tried to look down at her face. She faced away from him however, and he couldn't see what was happening with her.

"It's nothing," He heard the tears in her voice and panic spread in his gut.

He'd never dealt with crying women well, not to mention that Emily had never cried in his presence, not even when she had the right.

"Did I hurt you?" He demanded, pulling her over on her back in his lap.

Her eyes leaked tears onto her red cheeks. "No… Of course, you didn't hurt me. That was the most amazing moment of my life. I can't contain how happy you make me." She reached up and touched his cheek with her right forefinger.

"Are you sure?" He wanted to believe her.

"Yes… I'll be okay in a minute. Just sit here with me for a few minutes."

He moved temporarily to dim the lights to their lowest setting and toss a throw over her before taking her back into his arms. He held tight to her through the longest and sweetest silence he'd ever known because no words were necessary. He held her when her breathing slowed and she slept. He looked down at her in the dim golden light and decided that all the waiting for the right moment had truly been worth it. Perhaps it wasn't just chemicals, which created love in the brain. Maybe the heart wasn't just a muscle that pumped life-giving blood. Emily loved him and he wouldn't let anything ever change that.

THE END


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